Michelle RempelConservativeParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague opposite that what is included in the budget implementation act is reviewed through the finance committee. As we said earlier, this will be reviewed through a subcommittee at finance.

Mr. Speaker, there have been consultations on the following travel motion. I move:

That, in relation to its study on the pre-budget consultations 2012, twelve members of the Standing Committee on Finance be authorized to travel to Washington, D.C., United States of America, and New York, New York, United States of America, in the spring of 2012, and that the necessary staff accompany the Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I have the honour today to present a petition from the people of Kitchener Centre.

The petitioners point out that Canada's 400-year-old definition of a human being that says a child does not become human being until the moment of complete birth is contrary to 21st century medical evidence. They say that Parliament has a solemn duty to reject any law that says some human beings are not human.

They therefore call upon the House of Commons and Parliament to amend section 223 of the Criminal Code in such a way as to reflect 21st century medical evidence

Mr. Speaker, I have a petition with hundreds of names in support of my bill C-322.

The petitioners state that horses are ordinarily kept and treated as sport and companion animals. They are not raised primarily as food-producing animals. They are commonly administered drugs such as phenylbutazone, which makes the meat unfit for human consumption.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to present this petition regarding CCSVI. While the government lags 60 other countries in treatment for CCSVI, it does allow people with MS to take Genelia and Tysabri.

Health Canada is now reviewing Genelia after it was linked to 11 deaths outside Canada. The new recommendations are that it should not be given to patients with a history of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.

Tysabri was fast-tracked by the government despite the fact that it was known to cause the fatal brain infection PML. As of April 2012, there have been 232 cases of PML worldwide, and 49 have died.

The petitioners call upon the Minister of Health to consult experts actively engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of CCSVI, to undertake phase III clinical trials on an urgent basis in multiple centres across Canada and to require follow-up care.

Madam Speaker, today I have the honour to present a petition signed by 1,100 people from Sherbrooke who are rallying behind a man who is being deported tomorrow morning. They are calling on us to proclaim loud and clear our complete disagreement with and utter disbelief over the government's decision to deport Jorge Alberto Castro, who has been living in Canada for three and a half years.

I hope this further encourages the Minister of Immigration to change his decision. Everyone in Sherbrooke is rallying behind this resident in order to have him stay here. I hope this will have an impact.

Madam Speaker, it is a privilege for me to present three petitions today that follow up Motion No. 312.

The first petition was given to me by Strathroy and District Right to Life organization. It is asking for a special committee to be appointed and directed to review the declaration in subsection 223(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada, which states that a child becomes a human being only at the moment of complete birth.

The second petition is on behalf of the Association for Reformed Political Action, Chatham division, asking for the House of Commons to confirm that every human being is recognized by Canadian law as human by amending section 223 of the Criminal Code in such a way as to reflect 21st century medical evidence.

The last petition is from the Strathroy-London division of the Association for Reformed Political Action. It calls for the House of Commons to confirm that every human being is recognized by Canadian law as human by amending section 223 of the Criminal Code in such a way to reflect 21st century medical evidence.

Madam Speaker, it is my privilege and honour to present a petition signed by a number of Canadians regarding Bill C-322. As you know, animal welfare is closely related to the health of Canadians. That is why I am honoured to present such a petition.

The first one calls upon the House of Commons to take the action needed to hold Air Canada accountable to the Air Canada Public Participation Act. It should be taken into consideration that we are talking about thousands of Canadians who are unemployed and that they are very valuable jobs, in particular for the provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.

Madam Speaker, the second petition is with regard to the pension issue. Constituents and others are asking that people continue to have the option to retire at the age of 65 and that the government not in any way diminish the importance and value of Canada's three major seniors programs, the OAS, GIS and CPP.

Madam Speaker, I rise to present a petition on behalf of Canadians, most of whom are from the beautiful city of Saskatoon and many of the towns and communities surrounding the city. The petitioners ask that the Government of Canada call upon the government of Pakistan to repeal their blasphemy laws in their current form, provide protection to people of all faiths and reject any notion of banning the Bible.

Additionally, the petitioners ask that the Government of Canada call on the government of Pakistan to release Asia Bibi, as well as others imprisoned under these laws.

Madam Speaker, I am presenting a petition from a number of Canadians who state that as the undersigned citizens, they draw the attention of the House to the following: that horses are ordinarily kept and treated as sport and companion animals, that horses are not raised primarily as food-producing animals, that horses are commonly administered drugs that are strictly prohibited from being used at any time in all other food-producing animals destined for the human food supply and that Canadian horsemeat products currently being sold for human consumption in domestic and international markets are likely to contain prohibited substances. Therefore, the petitions call on the House of Commons to bring forward and adopt into legislation Bill C-322, an act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption), thus prohibiting the importation or exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption.

The first is from residents throughout British Columbia from within my own riding of Saanich—Gulf Islands, as well as from Prince George, Nelson, Vancouver, Port Alberni, Surrey, Maple Ridge and Chilliwack. There over 500 signatures on this petition, which calls on the House to ensure that the CBC, as our national public broadcaster, has stable, predictable funding to be able to continue to hold this country together across the airwaves.

Madam Speaker, the second petition is primarily from Ontario residents in the Guelph area, and a few from Toronto. I am grateful that Canadians from coast to coast are taking an interest in helping to ensure that British Columbians do not have to bear all of the burden and all the risks and damage of the pipeline and supertanker scheme that is being proposed by Enbridge and so violently supported by the government. The petitioners ask that the review process be allowed to continue in a fair and impartial manner.

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to present two petitions. The first is signed by residents of several cities in the Montreal region, including Sainte-Thérèse, Boisbriand and Terrebonne.

The people who signed this petition believe that the changes to old age security constitute a direct attack on the poorest seniors who depend on this money for their daily needs. These people are asking the House of Commons to maintain funding for old age security and to make the necessary investments in the guaranteed income supplement to help all seniors escape poverty.

Madam Speaker, I am honoured to present a second petition signed by a number of Quebeckers, most of whom live in Longueuil.

They are asking the Government of Canada to publicly condemn the Chinese communist regime for its illegal persecution of Falun Gong and to save members of Canadian families mentioned in the petition who are incarcerated in China just because they are Falun Gong adherents.

Madam Speaker, I recently visited some residents in the Quebec City region who were worried about the cuts to old age security announced by the Conservatives.

Today, I have the honour of tabling a petition signed by over 500 people in the riding of Louis-Saint-Laurent who are opposed to funding for old age security being cut. In fact, they are aware that the experts say this public pension program, which works to combat poverty directly, is financially viable—because that is what the experts say. They are therefore calling not only for this program to be continued in its present form, but also for the guaranteed income supplement to be increased so that seniors are able to escape from poverty.